November 3, 2012

INDIA : 'National Conference on Ageing' 6th ,7th Nov 2012

Aiming to empower senior citizens and take stock of the social, financial
and health issues faced by them, Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry (MSJE)
will hold a two-day ageing conference here next month.

The 'National Conference on Ageing' will bring together representatives of
all state governments, key union ministries, organisations working in this
sector and several imminent citizens to dwell upon the issues faced by senior
citizens, a senior official from SJ&E Ministry said.

"The conference has been divided into four themes concerning older
persons.The sessions will be chaired by senior officials from several
ministries and organisations to shed light on the programs conducted by them
for senior citizens and its response," he said.

The themes decided for the
conference- planned for the first week of November- are Social and Economic
Security of Older Persons, Health care, Family and Community Care, and focus on
Special Elderly Groups consisting of senior citizens above 80 years.

"Senior officials from
ministries such as Home Affairs, Labour and Employment, Finance, Health and
Rural Development, Planning Commission have been invited for conducting
fruitful discussions over the policies concerning older persons," the
official said.

For holding discussions on pension
and insurance schemes for senior citizens, SJ&E Ministry has invited
representatives from pension and insurance regulatory authorities.

NGO's dealings with United Nation's
mandate for senior citizens have also been invited for the conference.

"We have sent a special
invitation to the Delhi Police to discuss physical security of these vulnerable
people," he said.

Several groups and sub-groups will
be formed to conduct in-depth discussions and analyse the issues covered in the
four original themes.

"These group and sub-groups
will present their recommendations and findings on the second day of the
conference," the official said.

During the course of discussion, the
conference will also review various aspects related to senior citizens
(Maintenance, Protection and Welfare) Act in various states and ways to ensure
that it is implemented effectively.

"Several states have yet not
followed all the provisions of this act even after repeated reminders from the
SJ&E Ministry.The Ministry will once again request these states to ensure
its through implementation," he said.

The Conference will be inaugurated
by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister (MOSJE) Mukul Wasnik who will also chair the final
round of discussion on the second day.

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